Commentary by Michael Wade on Leadership, Ethics, Management, and Life

Monday, July 18, 2016

Excerpt

Our country's problems are real, and they aren't going away on their own or by saying, "Yes, we can." We're $211 trillion in debt, saving nothing, investing next to nothing, in most cases experiencing no real wage growth, suffering high unemployment, growing more unequal, getting older, refusing to die, balancing a phony budget, fighting wars of pride rather than purpose, dumping massive liabilities on our kids, and sustaining a "trust me" banking system poised to redetonate.We are, in short, totally screwed. Yes, that's strong language. But in thinking about the state of the economy and what we've done and are doing to ourselves and our children, it is the only honest description. It's loud and offensive, but when a house is on fire, screaming "FIRE" is the only responsible way to warn its occupants.- From The Clash of Generations: Saving Ourselves, Our Kids, and Our Economy by Laurence J. Kotlikoff and Scott Burns [The MIT Press, 2012]